Spear's Schools Index: Five Oxfordshire schools make top 500

Spear's Magazine has released the Spear's Schools Index 2024, with Cothill House School, in Cothill, Summer Fields, in Summertown, Radley College, in Radley, Wolsey Hall, in Oxford, and Dragon School, in Oxford, representing Oxfordshire on the list.

The schools index, first launched in 2020, recognises the top private schools around the world.

Radley College Clock Tower Square (Image: Oxford Mail)

The 2024 index is set out in eight regional directories, identifying leading private schools in the UK, North America, Switzerland, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and the rest of the world.

The compilation process involves an approach engineered by Spear’s in partnership with Thuso, an expert team of international educationalists.

Spear’s research unit gathered data directly from candidate schools, using online forms and interviews coupled with additional research.

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Intelligence and insights from Thuso and the expert educational panel were considered to shape the index.

The index used a range of criteria beyond academic performances.

Social, educational and pastoral factors were assessed, leading to instances where academically strong schools were omitted due to lack of broader strengths.

The rising international mobility of families and the emergence of new global cities as educational hubs played into the index’s constitution.

The reputation and prestige of the schools, which could influence parental choices and the school’s global rating, were also considered.

Edwin Smith, Spear’s editor-in-chief, said: "The Spear’s readership of internationally mobile, entrepreneurial people are used to making difficult decisions but even so, the choice of where to send their children to school is one of the most important – and most difficult – they will ever have to make."

He added: "The Spear’s Schools Index has been conceived as a tool to enable them to make a choice that is right for their children."

Matthew Goldie-Scot, managing director at Thuso Group, said: “The Spear’s School Index has consistently served as a refreshing alternative to ‘league tables’ which focus on narrow parameters of ‘success’ and ‘strength’.

"It reflects the common sense expectations of families who want the very best for their children.

"It provides insight into the best schools not only in ‘established’ cities, but in emergent hubs, such as Dubai, as well as highlighting long-standing beacons of education excellence in contexts such as India, South Africa, and Singapore."

Mr Smith and Mr Goldie-Scot co-chaired an Expert Advisory Panel, creating the index by assessing each school's distinct approach, head teacher background, and information about feeder and destination schools.